The 1981 album Stevie Nicks feared would finish Fleetwood Mac: “I made a big mistake”
Fleetwood Mac didn’t expect it, but in 1977, it was Stevie Nicks who became their most valuable player, as they topped the charts and became the global sensation we all knew them as.
They didn’t expect in the sense that her initial inclusion in the band was merely for supporting purposes. Mick Fleetwood was at a loss in 1974, searching once again for a vocalist after Peter Green eventually left the band directionless. In a desperate attempt to inject freshness into the outfit, Fleetwood recruited American guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, who agreed on one condition: they had to hire his partner, Stevie Nicks.
Fleetwood and McVie overcame their scepticism, allowing Nicks to join with the subtle fear that splitting Christine McVie’s vocal duties with this newcomer would upset the harmonic balance. Of course, the balance would indeed be ripped apart a few years later, but not at the hands of these iconic vocalists who, in turn, bonded through trauma.
Despite battling for her role in the band, Nicks swiftly became Fleetwood Mac’s most valuable asset, thrusting their songwriting into spiritual realms that tapped into a heightened state of emotion. She could be a master of the ballad one minute and a leader of the rock chorus the next, and became the distinct leading voice of this unique band.
Of course, stardom awaited her in the ‘80s and essentially gave her an exit plan from this brutally toxic lineup that had shattered her personal life into a million pieces. Her ‘81 debut solo album, Bella Donna, was essentially the sound of her breaking free from that. She remembered, “Just being in Fleetwood Mac all those years, I wondered if there was life after Fleetwood Mac, and it was very frightening for me to do my own thing.”
It seemed that despite the clear songwriting brilliance that existed in Bella Donna and the opportunity it presented Nicks in terms of forging her own solo career beyond the toxic backdrop of Fleetwood Mac, it was almost lost on her. She had almost succumbed to the Stockholm syndrome feeling of the band, empathising with it when, in actual fact, it had shown little to no empathy towards her.
She added, “Because I would think, what if it flops? That would be horrible and it would hurt Fleetwood Mac. I don’t want to hurt Fleetwood Mac but I don’t want to hurt myself either, and be disappointed and unhappy and cry for days because I made a big mistake. But at this point, I know if I’m going to continue to be able to do both these things, then I’ve got to be stronger and be more disciplined and down-to-earth.”
Bella Donna didn’t flop and instead gave Fleetwood Mac an important glimpse into life without Nicks. Ultimately, she could have continued on with her solo career and left the toxicity behind, but she didn’t, continuing on with records that slowly saw Fleetwood Mac drift into decline. Even when she owed them nothing, Nicks gave everything to the band.
